**Austrian MotoGP Showdown: Ducati’s Dominance at Risk as Bagnaia, Martin, and Bastianini Battle for Victory**

Ducati is the team to beat at the Austrian MotoGP, but the top spot is still up for grabs among its four leading riders.

Having only faced two defeats in Austria since 2016, including the two 'Styrian' events held during the Covid pandemic, Ducati heads into this weekend's MotoGP round at the Red Bull Ring after securing seven out of the top eight positions at the last race in Silverstone.

It comes as no shock that the experts on the Crash.net Podcast predict the Desmosedicis to be formidable contenders this Sunday. However, the question remains: which rider will come out on top?

Podcast host Jordan Moreland mentioned that Bagnaia aims to recover after his performance at Silverstone, where he managed to secure a third-place finish in the Grand Prix to make the best of the situation.

"He aims to secure his third consecutive victory in Austria, a track that has consistently favored Ducati. However, will Martin or Bastianini be able to challenge him this weekend?"

"You can almost always count on Bagnaia and Martin to be at the top," said Pete McLaren, the MotoGP editor for Crash.net. "However, Bastianini remains the biggest uncertainty for me. Will he be able to maintain this momentum?"

"In Austria, they employ modified rear tires designed with reinforced construction to suit the track's characteristics. This adjustment might favor Ducati due to their enhanced rear grip."

"If tire wear becomes a factor, Bastianini would likely have the advantage in those scenarios. However, catching up to Bagnaia and preventing him from securing a third consecutive win will be extremely challenging."

When asked about the championship battle between Martin and Bagnaia, which has recently swung back in favor of the Pramac rider by a narrow margin of 3 points, MotoGP reporter Lewis Duncan commented:

“Prior to the summer vacation, I was absolutely certain that Pecco would dominate this weekend. However, I had a similar expectation for Silverstone, and that didn’t happen.”

"I had anticipated that after the race in Germany, Martin's bid for the title might begin to falter. However, it has not."

According to the circuit specifications, Bagnaia should have an advantage due to the frequent hard braking and corner exits. This should theoretically benefit Bastianini too, though his performance is somewhat more difficult to forecast.

"If Bastianini's strong performance in the Silverstone qualifying is a true indicator, then he is in a significantly stronger position."

"Martin secured his first victory in Austria, showcasing his strong performance on this track. However, he had a rough patch last year, including a turn-one crash in the sprint, while Pecco delivered a flawless performance."

"The situation is extremely delicate, as you mentioned in last week's podcast. It's a significant dilemma for Ducati regarding the championship, especially with Martin and Bastianini departing at the end of the year."

"They absolutely need Pecco to deliver a few weekends of strong performances to alleviate some of the pressure. If Bastianini continues to perform well, it will be harder for them to use him as a supporting rider."

"Bastianini is unsure about the KTM's competitiveness for the upcoming year, but he is confident in the high performance of his current bike and has the remainder of the season to capitalize on it. Therefore, I believe he has everything to gain and nothing to lose," McLaren stated.

"He is 46 points behind Bagnaia and 49 points behind Martin. With 37 points up for grabs each weekend, if he performs as he did at Silverstone, I believe he is strongly in contention for the championship."

Moreland inquired: “What would Ducati do if Bastianini and Bagnaia had a collision? They also need to consider Jorge Martin.”

In a column published last week, Duncan expressed that Ducati should have instructed Bagnaia to let Bastianini pass at Silverstone. According to Duncan, considering the current phase of the season, if Bastianini is fast enough to outperform Martin, it would be more advantageous for them in the long run.

"Looking forward, it's evident from 2022 that Bastianini doesn't typically conform to the company's expectations. While Ducati never gave explicit orders, there was a directive suggesting that if a win was at stake, it was acceptable to compete. However, if it was only for a podium position, Bagnaia should be allowed to secure it."

“Bastianini seemed to miss the message! I recall watching races like the one in Malaysia with my hands covering my face! It was easy to imagine everything potentially ending in disaster.

"Bastianini possesses a certain trait where he is ready to confront challenges and eagerly competes with Pecco whenever he has the chance."

"If something happens, Martin stands to gain the most. Marc Marquez would likely benefit too, I suppose."

Moreland commented: "Marc Marquez has been nearly overlooked following this GP24 victory at Silverstone. He is now 62 points behind the championship leader. While Austria is a track where he performed admirably on the Honda, he never managed to secure a win there."

He’s now riding the bike that secured victory at the track last year, but he mentions he's falling short by 4-5 seconds to surpass the GP24s over the course of a race. Is a win necessary for him to remain competitive in the title race?

"The championship seems to be slipping out of reach, doesn't it?" McLaren responded. "However, it will be fascinating to watch Marc Marquez's performance on the Ducati. There aren't many circuits where Marquez hasn't claimed victory, and now he has one of the top bikes for the Red Bull Ring."

"The GP24s have an edge when it comes to acceleration, don't they? With the factory ride height adjustment and engine power, they definitely seem to burst out of the corners."

"Honestly, I believe Marc needs to be more strategic in choosing when to push himself. There will be certain tracks where he truly has a shot at winning, and in those moments, he should give it his all."

"Currently, his greatest advantage might be that he isn't concerned with the championship, unlike Martin, Bagnaia, and possibly Bastianini, who are."

“Marc should consider focusing on the championship next year.”

"I concur. In fact, I'm leaning towards Aragon being the ideal weekend for Marc," Duncan mentioned. "It's a left-turn dominant track where he has consistently performed well."

"The situation with the GP24 is quite intriguing. Gigi Dall’Igna recently discussed the GP23 and mentioned that they are committed to doing everything possible to enhance that bike."

"I interpreted that as a subtle hint: 'If we can offer Marc some assistance to support Pecco and make things tougher for the competition, we will.'"

"I'm not sure if they can install the factory ride-height device on his GP23, but I wouldn't be shocked if it appears on the bike in Austria…"

"I believe Marc will be competitive this weekend, particularly if he starts strong on Friday."

"This has been a recurring issue this year. He mentioned experiencing 'delays' throughout the Silverstone weekend, which is primarily due to the lack of data available to him for each track they visit."

One must acknowledge the impressive progress of the Marquez-Frankie Carchedi team, considering their starting position on Friday at Silverstone and their final result on Sunday.

"I believe the GP24s will retain an advantage in Austria, but we’ll have to wait and see."

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